


lux tua nos ducat

by pinkwinwin



Series: dripping with stars [1]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Magic, Magical Realism, Sort Of, they're very... bicker-y, unspecified time period
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-11-06 04:53:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17933213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkwinwin/pseuds/pinkwinwin
Summary: “You’re merely a menace,” Joshua replies easily, brushing a stray leaf out of his hair. A gust of wind hits him, and in an instant those same eyes are centimeters from his face.“Better a menace than a sleeping God,” Jeonghan drawls.





	lux tua nos ducat

**Author's Note:**

  * For [deadlylampshades](https://archiveofourown.org/users/deadlylampshades/gifts).



> Just a little somethin' witchy as a thank you to ayesha ♡

The forest was always a place of solace for Joshua, the way the trees beckoned him like an old friend and the grass seemed to bend towards him as he walked. The wind whistling through the branches sounded more like a song, playing melodies as he ventured off the worn-down path into the brush. He was home here, he felt the spirit of the forest itself creep under his skin and take shelter.

 

As it was, these peaceful moments didn’t last long.

 

“You’ll have to do better than that,” Joshua said, raising his voice just enough to be heard over the babbling brook down the hill. A laugh clear as bells rings out in the treeline ahead of him.

 

“You’re no fun!” a voice calls out, and Joshua looks up to meet amber colored eyes.

 

“And you’re merely a menace,” Joshua replies easily, brushing a stray leaf out of his hair. A gust of wind hits him, and in an instant those same eyes are centimeters from his face.

 

“Better a menace than a sleeping God,” Jeonghan drawls, dramatically leaning out of Joshua’s line of sight and zipping back to the end of the clearing before he can blink. The grass whips sharply in the gusting breeze, and Joshua has to swallow down a sigh.

 

“You’re going to regret saying that,” Joshua calls out, wiggling his fingers and letting the wind dance between his fingertips. He can feel the energy through his veins, his hair whipping sharply against his forehead. He can barely hear Jeonghan laugh over the howling, and he shoots his hands out in front of him. Suddenly, the trees are bending at an angle, shaking though their roots hold them to the ground. The tunnel of wind arches around the large pines, reaching up towards the upper branches. A slender body is knocked off of one of the large branches, but they reach out to catch themselves on one lower to the ground.

 

“You’ll have to do better than that!” Jeonghan shouts back through bouts of laughter, leaves dusting his hair and clinging to the mossy green cloak around his shoulders. He lets himself dangle for a few more moments before dropping to the ground. It’s a fall that would prove deadly to most, but Jeonghan merely lands on his boot-clad feet and waves a ring-clad hand towards Joshua mockingly.

 

With another heaving sigh, Joshua takes off at lightning speed, chasing after the man with the charming smile and amber eyes.

 

☾

 

The deeper you venture into the forest, the larger and more unkempt the trees become. They eventually intertwine their branches together, forming a web that even the bright blue sky can barely penetrate. The ground is covered in fallen leaves, various hues of orange, yellow, and tawny blending together to look like fire. If you listen closely during the first hour of daylight, you might hear the quiet footsteps of deer crunching against the forest floor.

 

This is where Joshua builds his home, amongst the roots of these great protectors. It’s a modest place, where plants hang in the windows and his mattress is stuffed with animal furs and feathers.

 

He’s comfortable here, although he’s alone. He’s content to hang his cloak by the door, to dry his boots by the hearth and eat a modest dinner at the table in the center of the main quarters. It’s a simple routine, one marked by comfort and familiarity. It’s also a lonesome one. Each night, Joshua lights a fire and places a burning candle near the front window, a sort of silent signal for the man who chooses to sleep in the canopy of the pine branches.

 

Each morning the candle has been snuffed out, with no signs of any entry.

 

He doesn’t expect anything grand, no fanfare or prideful admission. Joshua just holds out hope, for a flash of chestnut hair in the window or a tap on the door. It’s a dance of sorts, one they’ve been doing for years in between encounters in the trees. Tonight, after Joshua hangs up his cloak and tends to the fire, he places a candle near the window.

 

☾

 

“Why don’t you join me?” The request is tempting, of course, but Joshua has to restrain himself. He sits on a nearby boulder at the edge of the lake, cloak removed and splayed out as a makeshift blanket. A notebook bound with twine sits on his lap, and he squints in the morning light as he sketches.

 

“I prefer to stay dry, thank you,” Joshua answers with annoyance, adjusting his hold on the charcoal between his fingers. He pushes it against the page, watching the parchment turn a dusty black. The sun is warm here, the first signs of spring melting the snow away and encouraging new life to begin. Joshua almost wants to loosen the fastenings on his shirt and let the sun soak into his skin, but he decides against it and continues with his sketching. It’s quiet for a few minutes, until the sound of water lapping at the shore and a sigh pulls Joshua away from his artwork.

 

Jeonghan laughs, heat tilting back and face towards the sky. “You shouldn't be so proper all the time.”

 

“Perhaps it's you that's not proper enough,” Joshua replies, turning from his work to the man in the water. Jeonghan catches sight of him and waves, and Joshua sees the water roll down his arms and onto his bare chest. His ears burn and he returns the wave sheepishly before looking down at his paper, cheekbones dusting pink as he tries not to pay attention to Jeonghan's clothes stacked neatly next to him.

 

“What are you sketching?” Jeonghan asks after a while, tilting his head just so. His damp hair is clinging to his face, and he pushes it back with one hand. His other arm is resting against one of the rocks, wiry muscles flexing as he moves. The sunlight illuminates the high points of Jeonghan’s cheeks, and Joshua fights the urge to snap the charcoal into pieces beneath his grip.

 

Joshua adds more shading to the water before answering, glancing up only for a moment. “The scenery.” It's mostly true, the parchment is filled with a large lake with trees lining the edges, but something stands out above everything else.

 

It's the drawing of a man with pushed-back hair, swimming in the center of the water.

 

☾

 

With early spring comes the promise of storms, of the sky tinting an ashen gray with thunder clouds and the bright flash of lightning painting the trees. It’s where Joshua finds himself, rushing towards the front door of his cabin and throwing it open, peeling off his soaked cloak and overcoat and hanging them by the fire. He shakes his hair out, standing in front of the budding fire for a moment in vain effort to warm himself. He curses loudly, pointing at the fireplace and feeling the heat travel through his veins until a spark leaves his hand, engulfing the logs in flame. Another flash of lighting lights up the small cabin, and Joshua curses loudly once again.

 

He throws open his front door, wind wildly whipping his hair around his face. He takes a deep breath before shouting, his voice almost completely covered by the sound of rolling thunder. _“Jeonghan!”_

 

This isn’t a storm he can sit out, Joshua thinks to himself. He knows this isn’t one his own hands can tame either, the forest having a mind of its own on nights like these. Another round of thunder comes, its force shaking the small cabin and forcing Joshua to hold onto the doorframe for support. He’s about to close the door, giving up on the prospect of Jeonghan accepting the olive branch, when a different gust of wind pushes him back into the frame.

 

“I _don’t_ need your pity,” a voice hisses, sitting soaked at Joshua’s table near the fire. Jeonghan’s hair hangs heavy in his eyes, water droplets sliding down his perfectly sloped nose. Joshua shuts the door firmly, adjusting the locks before handing him a dry cloth. Jeonghan cautiously accepts it, drying his face and wringing out his hair as much as he can before hanging it by the fire.

 

“Complain all you want, there’s food in the cauldron,” Joshua replies easily, slipping out of his soaked boots and placing them in their spot by the fire. He pulls open his modest wardrobe, grabbing dry clothing and slipping into the small storage room to change.

 

“You always have that damn candle burning,” Jeonghan calls out, laughing after he speaks. Even dripped with annoyance, his laugh sounds like the same bells. “Like you’re some sort of beacon.”

 

Joshua returns to the main quarters wearing a fresh change of clothes, ripping open the wardrobe and throwing some garments Jeonghan’s way. “Better a beacon than a person with no direction,” he sighs. “I’m going to sleep.”

 

Joshua slips into bed, pulling the worn covers over his body. He looks to the candle one more time, still burning bright against the inky black window. With a sigh, he faces away from Jeonghan and waits for the clutches of sleep to envelop his body.

 

There’s shuffling for some time about the cabin, what Joshua can assume is Jeonghan changing clothes and eating a modest dinner. He feigns sleep, letting his eyes stay shut and refusing to entertain his company anymore. He even holds the facade long after the storm has died down to something more manageable, gentle rain against the window above Joshua’s bed. He can feel a gentle weight on the other side of the mattress, arms encircling his frame.

 

Joshua isn’t quite sure when he falls asleep, but when he wakes he can see the early light of dawn breaking through the window. The arms around his body shift, and he stays perfectly still, hoping Jeonghan assumes he’s still asleep. He must, because after a moment gentle lips press against the center of Joshua’s forehead, dragging down to the shell of his ear after a moment to whisper to him. Another shift of the bed, a quiet shuffling, and finally the formality of the front door swinging shut once again. Joshua lies still for another moment before turning his body, looking at the cabin. The candle in the window is carefully snuffed out, but it’s Jeonghan’s words that echo in his mind.

 

_“Your light guides us.”_

 

☾

 

Weeks go by after that night, and Joshua doesn’t see any signs of Jeonghan. He no longer sees his makeshift bedding between branches, nor does he hear the bell-like laughter echoing off the cliffside. Joshua is in tune with the forest enough to still sense his presence, but he makes no effort to show himself. Something about it twists ugly inside Joshua’s chest, the loneliness eating away at his ribcage and clutching his heart like a vice.

 

He sketches more during this time, finding meadow clearings where baby’s breath tickles his feet as he walks and the sun melts into the grass. He waits in these spots, hoping to catch a flash of chestnut hair or a gentle taunting in his ear. It never comes, instead only the gentle sound of deer passing by and birds singing their songs in nearby trees accompany Joshua on his long days in solitude.

 

The nights are the most difficult, feeling cold even when spring is in its most beautiful. There’s something haunting about being in the cabin alone, like the spirit of Jeonghan on that night is still laying in his bed or drying his hair by the fire. Some nights, Joshua turns over in his half-asleep state and can still see Jeonghan moving about the cabin, flashing him his signature smile before disappearing out the front door.

 

He still places a candle near the window, but lately he wakes to it melted down nearly to its base.

 

One night he makes a decision, his last feeble attempt at reaching out. He places a fresh candle near the window, his book laying open to his sketch of that day at the lake, even his door is left unlocked. That night, when Joshua crawls into bed, he silently prays to whatever deity out there that he visits that night.

 

Sleep doesn’t come that night, instead Joshua lays there with his eyes closed and facing the front door. The dawn in nearly breaking the horizon when he hears it, the gentle opening of the door. Joshua’s eyes open to the sight of nimble fingers snuffling out the candle, dragging lightly against the edges of his sketchbook.

 

“You waited for me,” Jeonghan says, not bothering to hide his surprise. Joshua sits up fully in bed, pulling back the covers and beckoning him forward.

 

“A beacon for the ones with no direction,” Joshua replies simply, but he smiles with Jeonghan slips out of his boots and climbs into bed. He cups Joshua’s face with the most gentle of caresses, gliding his thumb over his bottom lip and letting it fall open at his touch. Jeonghan is centimeters away from Joshua’s lips when he speaks again, hushed whisper fanning his warm breath against Joshua’s skin.

 

“I think I found my sense of direction,” he replies, before slotting their lips together in a tender kiss.

 

☾

 

There is a legend that the forest is alive with two deities, their watchful eyes keeping their beloved land safe. There is more to the story though, a side filled with love and tenderness. It is said that if you listen closely, you can hear a laughter clear as bells carried in the gentle breeze that filters through the trees.

**Author's Note:**

> lux tua nos ducat — _'your light guides us' in Latin_
> 
> If anyone asks, Jeonghan encouraged me to post this
> 
>    
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/pinkwinwin)  
> [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/pinkwinwin)


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